Republican Congressional Committee sending more money to Musgrave

If political polls can be dynamic and unreliable, money might be a good indicator of strengths and weaknesses.

The National Republican Congressional Committee — which has spent $1.6 million in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District so far, mostly on TV ads attacking Democrat Angie Paccione — said Tuesday it was sending more money to defend incumbent Marilyn Musgrave.

The funds will be shifted from Republican Rick O’Donnell, who is running for the Denver-area seat Rep. Bob Beauprez vacated to run for governor.

“They wouldn’t be dumping in all this money, and they wouldn’t be bringing in President Bush, if they believed they were winning by six points,” said Paccione’s campaign director, James Thompson. “Their actions speak louder than words and their actions show that Musgrave is very vulnerable.”

Musgrave’s campaign manager, Shaun Kenney, said he didn’t know whether the RNCC would infuse Musgrave’s campaign with cash intended for O’Donnell — by law, he’s not allowed to know.

But the removal of cash from O’Donnell could signify the RNCC believes he is strong enough to win without their help, Kenney said.

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“If they (the RNCC) take a look at the 527s up here … I don’t think it’s any small wonder why the RNCC is still hanging out in the 4th,” Kenney said. “It’s a sign that they feel optimistic about O’Donnell’s race in the 7th. But we get the 527s in play here.”

Kenney was referring to a recent major infusion of cash from the group Coloradans for Life, an independent “527” committee — so-called because of the tax code that allows it to raise and spend money. The group, whose leaders include Fort Collins heiress Pat Stryker, has spent at least $2.3 million on TV ads and mailings critical of Musgrave and Reform Party candidate Eric Eidsness.

Congressional Quarterly, which tracks national House races, said last Thursday that polling in the past two weeks showed an edge for O’Donnell’s Democratic opponent, former state Sen. Ed Perlmutter. That could also indicate why the national GOP is pulling out in Denver.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has not aired TV ads and earlier this month told Paccione she would not receive an expected $630,000 for ads and other expenditures.

But that announcement was followed shortly thereafter by the funding from Coloradans For Life.

Kenney said the removal of funds from O’Donnell didn’t necessarily mean the money would stay in Colorado’s U.S. House races, let alone go to Musgrave.

“They’re going to take that money and put it in places like Indiana and Ohio, where the races are a little bit more intense. Just because they pulled out of the 7th does not mean all the money will still be in the boundaries of Colorado,” Kenney said. “We weren’t the recipients of that, at least not yet.”